student asking question

Can I replace "know" here to "decide"? Is there any difference between them?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Here the word "know" does have a similar meaning to "decide", so if they had asked, "did you decide on a name?" it would have a similar meaning as the sentence here. However, these words are both very different. To "know" something means to be aware or have an understanding of something, so asking them if they "know" what they're going to call the baby asks if they have a clear understanding of what they will name her. The word "decide" means to come to a resolution about something or to choose. Both "know" and "decide" have to do with having an understanding or knowledge about something, but the main difference is that the word "decide" implies that they had to narrow down their choice from many other options, whereas "know" implies that they just already knew what they were going to name the baby, and possibly didn't have to decide between other options.

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